Thankful Thoughts...

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I wanted to take some time to count my blessings:

~My dad is doing better and had his first day of work today!
~God provided a new, exciting, and stretching job for me!
~God has protected, watched, and provided for my family and I over the last few months in some amazing ways! (money, food, encouragement, support, peace, washing machine...just to name a few)
~Cell phones! I am so thankful that I can talk to my family at any time!
~Legs that work...because I have to walk everywhere! :-)
~A heart that is willing to go where God wants me.
~Supportive and encouraging family and friends!
~And most of all, a wonderful Savior who has watched over me since before I was born, and without Him, I would not be doing what I am doing today!

Sometimes it takes moving several states away to fully appreciate your family. I look at these girls' lives and their families, and I realize how truely blessed I have been. I have a supportive and loving family who have helped me through thick and thin, and have brought me up in the way of the Lord. I look at these girls and I see their hopelessness. I was listening to a couple of them talk about Christmas, and they were missing the whole reason for Christmas. It is going to be harder than I thought to reach out to these girls. I've grown up knowing how important it is to be a servant and to follow Christ's example. But when you're surround by people who have grown up seeing Christians as hypocritical, judgemental, and uncaring--how do you contradict that? The church I went to yesterday talked about the church being salt and light to the community, but it was all about good works. The message of salvation didn't have any part, and following Christ had nothing to do with it. It made me sad to think that so many were missing out on this part of the Gospel and what Christianity is about. There's been several times lately that I've wanted to say I'm a "Christ-follower" and not use the word "Christian" because for so many people it has a bad conotation. I am so thankful that I have hope in Christ, and that He has taken my punishment for my sins so that I might know Him for eternity!Please be praying that I will be a light to the girls that I'm around, not because of my "good works" but because of who I am in Christ. I want them to know who Christ is, and the best way to do that is by example...and it won't be easy.
I'll get off my soap box now. :-)
Anyway, I hope you will count your blessings not only this week but throughout your life. Yes, many of us have hard times/sufferings/trials, but God works through those as well as the good times. I'm sad that I won't be able to be at home for Thanksgiving. I give thanks to God that I have such a wonderful family!